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Cairo Repression Continues

By VVAW

For the third time in as many years, Brother Bob Williams, National Coordinator of the United Front of Cairo, Illinois, has been convicted of "making false statements" when purchasing firearms in May, 1971, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The trial took place on Oct. 23, 1973, in the U.S. District Court in Cape Girarardeau, Missouri. Brother Williams, who has maintained his innocence and his legal right to purchase the firearms throughout three trials and two court appeals, was then sentenced to five years in a federal penitentiary. Sentencing took place on Nov. 12, 1973.

The charges on which Brother Williams has been convicted state that he misrepresented his state of residency and any record of previous felony convictions when purchasing two rifles in Cape Girardeau on May 25, 1971. He was first tried on these charges in November, 1971, and was convicted. He appealed the conviction and on June 26, 1972, won a reversal in the U.S. Court of Appeals. On November 8, 1972, Brother Williams was brought back to trial again on the same charges and was convicted again. He appealed and, once again, on August 16, 1973 won a reversal in the U.S. Court of Appeals. The October 29th trial represents, then, the third time he has been tried on the same charges. Each time, he has been prosecuted by the special Federal prosecutors from the Internal Security Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

During the entire time of the trials and appeals, Brother Williams has continued to work as a civil rights activist in Cairo, Illinois, never wavering from his determination to end the racism, exploitation and political repression of Black and poor people in this southern Illinois city.

Brother Williams decided to again appeal his conviction. The decision was made in the middle of the third trial when the judge in Cape Girardeau offered him a shorter sentence in return for pleading guilty. Brother Williams said of his decision: "Most important, I have my integrity and principles I live by. I am not guilty. Obviously, the court knows I am not guilty or they wouldn't offer me a shorter sentence. They just want to get me out of the way so they can move on to other poor brothers and sisters who have less chance than I do to defend themselves." Brother Williams is no in the process of preparing an appeal of the October 29th conviction.

It is evident that the government will stop at nothing to silence effective Black organizers such as Bob Williams and Gary Lawton. The struggle to keep these brothers free is expensive, and more so with each succeeding trial. Contributions of checks or money orders for the defense of Bob Williams should be made payable to: Committee for Equal Justice. Contributions, as well as requests for further information about Brother Williams' defense and the struggle of the United Front in Cairo, should be sent to: Friends of the United Front, P.O. Box 16511, St. Louis, Missouri 63105. (314) 725-1082.